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Via Augusta Impressions

Colette Z

Happy Pilgrim
Time of past OR future Camino
CF; Norte; Ingles; Augustine; Portugues Central
I completed the Via Augusta from Cadiz to Sevilla last Sunday. I had intended to continue on the VDLP but 5 weeks ago someone I’m very close to fell at home and suffered a severe head trauma. I was the person who found him and sat at his ICU bedside the first week while he was on life support. Fortunately I was able to contact his one son. My training was therefore shelved as I spent most of the time in the hospital. But prayer, good medical care and his stubbornness pulled him back a smidgen from heavens’ opening gates. Emotionally exhausted having to face daily whether he’d survive or pass on, his son told me after 3 weeks to walk my camino. I did the Augusta in deep inner prayer. Today, 5 weeks since the accident, my friend is able to say a few words, sit up in a chair 30 minutes and breathe unassisted. The Via Augusta was a unique Camino for the spiritual clarity it provided me working through my grief, anger, guilt, resentment, deep sadness and incredible fear for an unknown future.

However, I would only recommend this Camino to strong-minded walkers looking for total solitude (I walked El Norte alone last March in rain drenching weather so I’m not a tourist walker). The Cadiz Amigos del Camino have done a great job marking the way BUT we (I walked with another lady) would have been terribly lost in the middle of endless farm fields without GPS (downloaded routes from the Cadiz Amigos website using maps.me) which was 99% accurate for route but underestimated total daily distances by up to 5km. The distances averaged 30km/day, give or take +3-5 km. In general the route has minimal or zero infrastructure between starting and ending the day. Routes were completely flat/boring (at one point 20 km on a dirt/gravel service road alongside the train tracks) except for a 3km solid climb into Alcalá de Guadaíra and quite meseta-like for long stretches. Cadiz, Jerez, Utrera are worthy of spending a rest day given the level of fatigue by day’s end was too much to want to do much more than eat and sleep. All the locals we met and chatted with were very welcoming, informative and helpful. In hindsight, although a coast to coast camino sounded good (Cadiz to A Coruña via Santiago), without at least 2 or 3 rest days in Sevilla, attempting to walk the VDLP immediately would not have been possible for me, I was physically worn out after the 194 km on the VA. My prayers have been heard and my heart has been healed, I was blessed by the Camino magic once again. A thank you to Eugene for his notes and those of other IVAR members. PS: almost every town had a Church of Santiago !
 

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St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
I walked in December with my son and posted about it here - ended up having to skip two stretches because of the worst blisters I have ever had, but apart from a few kilometres of deep mud and some extremely aggressive dogs, enjoyed it and am planning to walk it again some day - but GPS is essential, yes.

Next time I won't even bring a sleeping bag, since there aren't any albergues.

And again, I like flat caminos...
 
I walked in December with my son and posted about it here - ended up having to skip two stretches because of the worst blisters I have ever had, but apart from a few kilometres of deep mud and some extremely aggressive dogs, enjoyed it and am planning to walk it again some day - but GPS is essential, yes.

Next time I won't even bring a sleeping bag, since there aren't any albergues.

And again, I like flat caminos...

Yes thanks Heidi your comments and posts helped me prepare. I like forests, water and hills but the terrain boredom provided me space for inner reflection.
 
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Am on the Via Augusta now, and yes, no need for towel or sleeping bag liner indeed. Enjoyed the wetlands today, loads of birds, looking forward to the rest of it. Don't like dogs, yikes!
 
Am on the Via Augusta now, and yes, no need for towel or sleeping bag liner indeed. Enjoyed the wetlands today, loads of birds, looking forward to the rest of it. Don't like dogs, yikes!

You must be just starting? Hoping you enjoy it. I walked March 1-6th no rain. Long days. Buen Camino.
 
Great to hear from you, I am starting soon from Algeciras and have planned to do the Via Augusta up to Seville.
 
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Great to hear from you, I am starting soon from Algeciras and have planned to do the Via Augusta up to Seville.
Am on the Via Augusta now, and yes, no need for towel or sleeping bag liner indeed. Enjoyed the wetlands today, loads of birds, looking forward to the rest of it. Don't like dogs, yikes!
Addendum to my previous remark about no albergues: We did find one albergue parroquial in El Cuervo. A slightly bewildered, but welcoming priest at the Iglesia San Jose (opposite Hostal Santa Ana) had a room available to us, with a blanket, pillow, toiletries and a shower/toilet too!. All donativo. So I used my sleepingbag liner and fleece towel once on the Via Augusta.
 
Hi anybody walking now the Via Augusta from Utrera?
 
Hi anybody walking now the Via Augusta from Utrera?
Was there two weeks ago. Met one pilgrim on the whole Via. How about you? I hope you'll take the route that goes via Alcalá de Guadaira, it's beautiful, and from Alcalá the walk into Sevilla avoids industrial zones completely. However, IMHO, that's two stages, about 38 km in total. I missed out on the appealing looking albergue in Alcalá, Centro Acogido AFAR. Buen Camino!
 
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Thanks for your advice. We are on the Augusta and have barely seen a soul. No other pilgrims. The last bit into Las Cabezas is tricky. Not great signage, muddy overgrown track. The nasty dogs belong to a nice farmer who directed us left up a small hill past a ruined building. So you don’t go into his farm but pass it to the left
The weather is already really hot, not much shade. You need lots of water.
The 9 k to El Cuervo looked boring. We bused it and then walked to Las Cabezas. Nice town.
 
Thanks for your advice. We are on the Augusta and have barely seen a soul. No other pilgrims. The last bit into Las Cabezas is tricky. Not great signage, muddy overgrown track. The nasty dogs belong to a nice farmer who directed us left up a small hill past a ruined building. So you don’t go into his farm but pass it to the left
The weather is already really hot, not much shade. You need lots of water.
The 9 k to El Cuervo looked boring. We bused it and then walked to Las Cabezas. Nice town.
Hey you're a day behind me maybe my posts are helpful
 
Hey you're a day behind me maybe my posts are helpful
Those dogs scared the hell out of me. We took a right in front of the farm and round the back. Ended up on an overgrown track and finally into Las Cabezas. Which is lovely! It's great to read your reports, since so few people actually walk the Via Augusta.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
Thanks D
So you can go right or left at that farm?
Left up the hill and past the ruin wasvaldo overgrown and muddy but got us to near the bridge over the autovia
I also carry a Dazer. I call it my dog killer but if course it just emits a sound that puts them off. Got it from the web. Bought it after we were attacked by three huge mutts on the V de la Plata.
I confess we trained it Las Cabezas to Utrera as 32 k is a bit beyond us these days and others said it was boring.
The walk from Alcala to Seville was the best bit. I see no merit in walking through noisy polluting traffic so when we reached the suburbs we got the metro to Puerta Xerez.
We have now shifted to the V de P which we walked every inch of a few years ago.’
We are walking to Aljucen from Merida then On to caceres.
Then saying farewell for now.
 

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